This week, President Obama will be in North Carolina as part of his “Middle-Class Jobs and Opportunity Tour.”  This visit comes at a time when 4.4 million Americans  have been unemployed long term – out of work for 27 weeks or longer.

Unfortunately, North Carolinians are suffering with one of the highest unemployment rates in the country – around 9 percent are without jobs and actively looking for work.  The numbers are even worse when we look at the full picture.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the participation rate – the number of people who currently have a job or are actively looking for work – has dropped dramatically over the past five years.  Too many Americans have given up hope of finding work.

As discouraging as those statistics are, the situation is even more dire when considering the prospect of Obamacare provisions that will be implemented over the next few years.  Not only are Obamacare provisions already forcing employers to cut employee health benefits, but they continue to affect the ability of employers to expand and hire. According to a recent Gallup poll, almost half of small businesses think Obamacare is going to be bad for their business and 41 percent of small businesses are not hiring as a result of Obamacare. 

Instead of creating opportunities for middle-class Americans, President Obama’s policies have been devastating -- especially to North Carolinians looking for jobs.  Instead of passing big government programs and regulations that make it harder for employers to hire, Republicans are in favor of innovative solutions to control spending, reduce health care costs, and make it easier for businesses to create jobs.   Learn more about our plan for jobs at http://www.gop.gov/jobs/.